disappear
Americanverb (used without object)
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disappears,
present (3rd person singular)
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disappeared,
past participle, past
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disappearing
present participle
-
to cease to be seen; vanish from sight.
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to cease to exist or be known; pass away; end gradually.
One by one the symptoms disappeared.
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(of a person) to vanish under suspicious circumstances.
The dictator's outspoken opponent disappeared that evening, shortly after midnight.
verb (used with object)
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disappears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disappeared,
past participle, past
-
disappearing
present participle
-
to cause to disappear.
The magician then disappeared the card.
-
to kidnap or arrest and then imprison or kill (a political opponent) without due process of law.
verb
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(intr) to cease to be visible; vanish
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(intr) to go away or become lost, esp secretly or without explanation
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(intr) to cease to exist, have effect, or be known; become extinct or lost
the pain has disappeared
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(tr) (esp in South and Central America) to arrest secretly and presumably imprison or kill (a member of an opposing political group)
Synonym Usage
Disappear, fade, vanish suggest that something passes from sight. Disappear is used of whatever suddenly or gradually goes out of sight: We watched him turn down a side street and then disappear. Fade suggests a (complete or partial) disappearance that proceeds gradually and often by means of a blending into something else: Colors in the sky at sunrise quickly fade. Vanish suggests complete, generally rapid, and often mysterious disappearance: A mirage can vanish as suddenly as it appears.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disappearsimple
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disappearssimple
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have disappearedperfect
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has disappearedperfect
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am disappearingprogressive
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are disappearingprogressive
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is disappearingprogressive
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have been disappearingperfect progressive
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has been disappearingperfect progressive
Past
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disappearedsimple
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had disappearedperfect
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was disappearingprogressive
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were disappearingprogressive
-
had been disappearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disappear
Explanation
When something disappears, it's gone. To disappear is to vanish, evaporate, or just fade away. The word disappear is made up of dis, meaning "do the opposite of" and appear. So to disappear is to do the opposite of appear. Magicians are experts at making things disappear: one minute the rabbit is here, and the next, it's gone! When you lose something, like one of a pair of socks, you could say it disappeared. Snow disappears as it melts; boiling water disappears as it evaporates. Anything that goes away without leaving a trace has disappeared.
Vocabulary lists containing disappear
"Hitching a Ride"
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 3
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Let It Be
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Store merchants historically negotiated directly with consumer brands for shelf placement, and when centralized ad teams tried selling digital banner ads online, merchants worried their trade budgets would disappear, former employees said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Economic instability, weakened public trust and the costs of war do not disappear when an election ends.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
As the liver ages, the openings in LSECs gradually become smaller or disappear.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
It means inpatient wards could disappear from Welshpool, Machynlleth, Ystradgynlais and Llanidloes, while Llandrindod Wells could also lose its beds under the most extensive option.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Maybe if I didn’t look at her, she’d magically disappear.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
In 1971, however, Bardo disappears, lost at sea following the sudden death of his wife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The beans bring both flavor and fiber, the sausage adds richness and heat, and the spinach practically disappears into the sauce.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Though the mechanics are still poorly understood, these mountains appear to become unstable when the ice disappears.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
"Hopefully it rains soon, the fires go out, and the smoke disappears so that activities can return to normal and it’s easier to earn a living again," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Until my fingers know exactly what to do, and everything in my room disappears.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
The court heard Dunkley had maintained his account that Lashley had disappeared for decades, despite being spoken to by police multiple times.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
Many of the large wild herbivores that once shaped its landscapes have disappeared, and traditional grazing practices have also declined.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 7, 2026
“On a typical selloff, retail buy the dip. Today, that bid has effectively disappeared from individual names,” wrote Vanda’s Viraj Patel in commentary shared with MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Wong, who turned 30 last month, was the subject of a Netflix documentary and his picture was splashed on magazine covers the world over -- until he disappeared from the public eye and into prison.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
“Very good,” Callaway said, and then he turned back, took two large steps forward, and disappeared into the rock.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
That’s the share of students disappearing after placing their deposits at some schools nationwide, a phenomenon colleges call “melt.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The jobs are not disappearing because AI can do them.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Hart said the number of salons disappearing from high streets was a concern.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
However, this additional water comes from a resource that is steadily disappearing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
“I’ll pull the car up front,” Rhys murmurs in my ear, before disappearing.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
